During World Smile Week
(MENAFN- MENAFNEditorial) A Drop of Water, a Dose of Medicine and a School Seat Can Be a Source of True Happiness
A smile is not always an expression of a fleeting moment of happiness. In the lives of many people around the world, a smile can be a sign of regaining a sense of safety, overcoming a crisis, or receiving a new opportunity for life. As World Smile Week is observed on October 2, the importance of efforts that help people regain the reasons to smile becomes increasingly clear — from food, medicine and clean water to education, shelter and healthcare.
We spoke with Dr. Shourouq Alnakdi, Community Relations Specialist at LIFE for Relief and Development, which ranked third this year, according to Charity Navigator ratings, among leading organizations addressing the challenges of poverty. Here is our interview:
– What does a smile mean to relief and charitable organizations in general?
For us, it means bringing smiles to the faces of those most in need through humanitarian and development programs in 61 countries around the world. Our work to create smiles reaches children, families, older people, people with disabilities, and communities affected by crises and wars.
Orphaned children are among the groups that need continued support, not only to meet their basic needs, but also to ensure continuity in education, healthcare and development in a more stable environment.
Through LIFE's Orphan Sponsorship Program, which began in 2002, thousands of children in different countries receive support that helps them meet their basic needs and continue their education by providing educational supplies, building and rehabilitating schools, as well as university scholarships that help young people complete their education despite difficult economic circumstances.
– Do you really have the ability to bring smiles to the faces of orphans in war zones?
Absolutely. These are the children whose smiles we find are not only on their faces, but also come from their hearts. They hold on to even the simplest hope for safety and a normal life.
In Lebanon, for example, children rush to our team as soon as a psychosocial support event is announced. In Gaza, providing school supplies and a seat in an educational tent can bring a child immense happiness. In Sudan, providing medicine for an orphan's mother can make the child smile, because he feels that we have protected the only source of security he has in life — his mother.
The same is true along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, as well as in Yemen, Iraq and Somalia. The smiles of these orphans are a source of determination for us to overcome every challenge.
And it is not only in war zones. Last year, moving families from tents into homes in Syria brought happiness to the faces of widows and their orphans. The homes protected them from freezing to death during the winter. Providing clothing, food and shelter to people displaced by floods and earthquakes also brings relief and dignity.
– Is poverty a cause of human unhappiness and the loss of a smile?
Not always. Poverty does not only mean a lack of money; it can sometimes mean difficulty accessing food, medicine or education.
That is why LIFE's programs include food and cash assistance to help families meet their daily needs according to their circumstances. Cash assistance gives families a degree of flexibility in determining their priorities, while food assistance helps ease a basic burden for low-income families, particularly when food prices rise or sources of income are disrupted.
In many cases, the smile that appears on a mother's face after receiving enough food for her children may reflect her feeling that a heavy burden has been lifted.
Older people and people with disabilities, in particular, also face increased needs during crises, especially when health and social services decline or families are forced to flee their homes.
Food and medical assistance, along with the provision of basic necessities, can help ease some of these concerns and enable people to preserve a greater sense of humanity and dignity.
Services related to hearing and vision are also particularly important, whether through medical examinations, eyeglasses, assistive devices or therapeutic interventions. Such services can help children continue their education, adults remain able to work, and older people communicate more effectively with their families and communities.
– Why do we always hear “laughter” during well-drilling projects, whether from children or women?
That is true. Safe drinking water projects are among the most important forms of sustainable support. Drilling wells and establishing water sources does not only provide water; it also reduces the time and effort families spend obtaining it and helps reduce health risks associated with unsafe water.
For children, having a nearby water source may mean more time to attend school, while for women and families it helps ease one of the harshest daily burdens.
During well-drilling projects, particularly in African countries, we hear laughter as the water begins to flow and its pure drops emerge. This brings joy to the person who donated to build the well and encourages them to continue doing good for those in need.
Through our work, we have found that one of the most powerful sources of a smile is providing medical care for children. A widow may suffer because her son is ill and she cannot do anything to relieve his suffering, or because her child cannot see or hear and needs support.
That is why LIFE implements medical programs around the world through medicines and medical supplies, support for hospitals and health centers, and health programs in communities in need.
– Why has it become common to picture those living in camps as the most miserable?
In areas affected by conflict and disasters, families may lose their homes and sources of income, making access to shelter, food, water and medical care an urgent necessity.
LIFE participates in humanitarian emergency response by providing emergency assistance, shelter materials, food, water and medical supplies to support displaced and affected families.
A child's first smile after their family reaches a safe place may simply express the recovery of part of the sense of security they have lost. This is a natural response, whether following a war or any environmental disaster.
– Can you tell us some real-life stories that have left a lasting impression on your hearts?
A smile begins with basic needs — things that may seem simple: a meal, medicine, a cup of clean water, a book, a school, a university scholarship, a hearing device, eyeglasses, or a safe place to sleep.
Behind every humanitarian project we have implemented over 34 years, there is a different story.
In Senegal, for example, food assistance can mean giving a mother the ability to provide better meals for her children. In Sierra Leone, educational support for a student may represent an opportunity to continue their studies instead of dropping out of school. In Bangladesh, a new pair of eyeglasses may give a child the ability to read, while medicine for an older person in Indonesia may provide an opportunity to live more comfortably.
These stories, despite the differences in their countries and circumstances, share one meaning: humanitarian assistance is not only about what is provided, but also about what it enables people to do — to continue their lives with dignity and hope.
A genuine smile cannot be created through words alone. Sometimes, it begins when a person finds what they need to feel safe, preserve their dignity, and look toward tomorrow with greater hope.
A smile is not always an expression of a fleeting moment of happiness. In the lives of many people around the world, a smile can be a sign of regaining a sense of safety, overcoming a crisis, or receiving a new opportunity for life. As World Smile Week is observed on October 2, the importance of efforts that help people regain the reasons to smile becomes increasingly clear — from food, medicine and clean water to education, shelter and healthcare.
We spoke with Dr. Shourouq Alnakdi, Community Relations Specialist at LIFE for Relief and Development, which ranked third this year, according to Charity Navigator ratings, among leading organizations addressing the challenges of poverty. Here is our interview:
– What does a smile mean to relief and charitable organizations in general?
For us, it means bringing smiles to the faces of those most in need through humanitarian and development programs in 61 countries around the world. Our work to create smiles reaches children, families, older people, people with disabilities, and communities affected by crises and wars.
Orphaned children are among the groups that need continued support, not only to meet their basic needs, but also to ensure continuity in education, healthcare and development in a more stable environment.
Through LIFE's Orphan Sponsorship Program, which began in 2002, thousands of children in different countries receive support that helps them meet their basic needs and continue their education by providing educational supplies, building and rehabilitating schools, as well as university scholarships that help young people complete their education despite difficult economic circumstances.
– Do you really have the ability to bring smiles to the faces of orphans in war zones?
Absolutely. These are the children whose smiles we find are not only on their faces, but also come from their hearts. They hold on to even the simplest hope for safety and a normal life.
In Lebanon, for example, children rush to our team as soon as a psychosocial support event is announced. In Gaza, providing school supplies and a seat in an educational tent can bring a child immense happiness. In Sudan, providing medicine for an orphan's mother can make the child smile, because he feels that we have protected the only source of security he has in life — his mother.
The same is true along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, as well as in Yemen, Iraq and Somalia. The smiles of these orphans are a source of determination for us to overcome every challenge.
And it is not only in war zones. Last year, moving families from tents into homes in Syria brought happiness to the faces of widows and their orphans. The homes protected them from freezing to death during the winter. Providing clothing, food and shelter to people displaced by floods and earthquakes also brings relief and dignity.
– Is poverty a cause of human unhappiness and the loss of a smile?
Not always. Poverty does not only mean a lack of money; it can sometimes mean difficulty accessing food, medicine or education.
That is why LIFE's programs include food and cash assistance to help families meet their daily needs according to their circumstances. Cash assistance gives families a degree of flexibility in determining their priorities, while food assistance helps ease a basic burden for low-income families, particularly when food prices rise or sources of income are disrupted.
In many cases, the smile that appears on a mother's face after receiving enough food for her children may reflect her feeling that a heavy burden has been lifted.
Older people and people with disabilities, in particular, also face increased needs during crises, especially when health and social services decline or families are forced to flee their homes.
Food and medical assistance, along with the provision of basic necessities, can help ease some of these concerns and enable people to preserve a greater sense of humanity and dignity.
Services related to hearing and vision are also particularly important, whether through medical examinations, eyeglasses, assistive devices or therapeutic interventions. Such services can help children continue their education, adults remain able to work, and older people communicate more effectively with their families and communities.
– Why do we always hear “laughter” during well-drilling projects, whether from children or women?
That is true. Safe drinking water projects are among the most important forms of sustainable support. Drilling wells and establishing water sources does not only provide water; it also reduces the time and effort families spend obtaining it and helps reduce health risks associated with unsafe water.
For children, having a nearby water source may mean more time to attend school, while for women and families it helps ease one of the harshest daily burdens.
During well-drilling projects, particularly in African countries, we hear laughter as the water begins to flow and its pure drops emerge. This brings joy to the person who donated to build the well and encourages them to continue doing good for those in need.
Through our work, we have found that one of the most powerful sources of a smile is providing medical care for children. A widow may suffer because her son is ill and she cannot do anything to relieve his suffering, or because her child cannot see or hear and needs support.
That is why LIFE implements medical programs around the world through medicines and medical supplies, support for hospitals and health centers, and health programs in communities in need.
– Why has it become common to picture those living in camps as the most miserable?
In areas affected by conflict and disasters, families may lose their homes and sources of income, making access to shelter, food, water and medical care an urgent necessity.
LIFE participates in humanitarian emergency response by providing emergency assistance, shelter materials, food, water and medical supplies to support displaced and affected families.
A child's first smile after their family reaches a safe place may simply express the recovery of part of the sense of security they have lost. This is a natural response, whether following a war or any environmental disaster.
– Can you tell us some real-life stories that have left a lasting impression on your hearts?
A smile begins with basic needs — things that may seem simple: a meal, medicine, a cup of clean water, a book, a school, a university scholarship, a hearing device, eyeglasses, or a safe place to sleep.
Behind every humanitarian project we have implemented over 34 years, there is a different story.
In Senegal, for example, food assistance can mean giving a mother the ability to provide better meals for her children. In Sierra Leone, educational support for a student may represent an opportunity to continue their studies instead of dropping out of school. In Bangladesh, a new pair of eyeglasses may give a child the ability to read, while medicine for an older person in Indonesia may provide an opportunity to live more comfortably.
These stories, despite the differences in their countries and circumstances, share one meaning: humanitarian assistance is not only about what is provided, but also about what it enables people to do — to continue their lives with dignity and hope.
A genuine smile cannot be created through words alone. Sometimes, it begins when a person finds what they need to feel safe, preserve their dignity, and look toward tomorrow with greater hope.
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